Hazmat team responds to Monterey police station

A hazmat team and bomb squad spent about five hours Wednesday evaluating the contents of a backpack brought into the Monterey police station.

A cab driver found a backpack with suspicious items inside and brought it to the police station on Pacific Street about 5:30 p.m., said Salinas firefighters who are part of the hazmat team.

The Sheriff's Office bomb squad and regional hazmat team determined there was nothing hazardous or "imminently dangerous" about the contents and cleared the scene shortly before 11 p.m., said Salinas fire Battalion Chief Brett Loomis.

The contents were consistent with something that would be used to make methamphetamine, but officials would not be sure without physically testing each substance, Loomis said.

The contents were left with the Monterey police and fire departments and the Monterey County Health Department.